Time After Time
by marianna
Summary: Set during 2.21 which obviously I haven't seen, how Logan and Veronica deal with Aaron's trial.


Her lips tug against his, her fingers winding into his hair. There is a tiny moan on her lips as he kisses the column of her throat, and her lashes flutter as she closes her eyes and enjoys the onslaught. He's backed her against the door, the rough edge of the jamb pressing hard against her back. His hands are cupping her face as he lifts his head and kisses her again. It's almost as though he needs her to breathe, her kiss providing his very salvation. She hears something in the hallway, footsteps, and name being called, and drags herself from him, knowing her eyes are wild, and her hair can't look too much better.

"Veronica?" He asks, his whisper thick in the air. His eyes are still closed, but as they open, they're drowsy and peaceful. As if they aren't huddled in some abandoned backroom in the Balboa County Courthouse waiting to testify in his father's trial. In a moment, his eyes register these facts and more, his cold mask slipping into place. She'd love to say this didn't hurt, his edging away from her, the way he'd dropped her hand as if it were made of ice, but she can't, and she _is_ hurt.

"I heard someone coming." She replies, grateful that he had to speak first so she could catch her breath. There's something about him-something magnetic and powerful, and it's all she can do to not jump on him again. "We should probably get out there anyway." He nods, as if he agrees, but as she moves to open the door his fingers curl around her arm, stopping her in her tracks. She can't help the goose bumps that explode across her skin.

"Dad's hotshot-who was somehow under the impression that I'd be an asset to the _defense_, told me that I wouldn't be testifying today. I don't want to go out there and just sit, knowing that he's here, in the building. That he could possibly be free after…" He can't finish his sentence, so he chooses to look away, his eyes fixing on the darkened door facing them from the other side.

"Oh, Logan." She whispers, swallowing back her hurt and her tears so she can wrap herself around him. He's so cold that she's half sure he'll push her away, but he doesn't, burying his head in the crook of her neck, not realizing that he wasn't breathing until he did so. That he couldn't, until he felt safe.

"Why are you being so nice to me? What happened to the Veronica Mars I know and-" He sputters for a second, mumbling something incoherent under his breath. "Aren't you supposed to be the bitch from hell? The one that eats guys like me for breakfast?" The words aren't suggestive-alright, they are, but it's more his voice, which is cloaked in velvet, that gets her.

"I'm nice, Echolls, because this can't be easy for you." She presses her mouth against his, quick and feather light, and before he can make it deeper, she continues. "As much as this," She gestures towards the proximity of their bodies, her lips grim, but her eyes dancing. "As much as it _pains_ me, it's good for you. And if you have to get up there and testify that you saw-that you saw what you saw, than you should seriously be as calm as possible. So, I'm being nice. Don't expect it to last long." He leans down and kisses her then, but it's not an epic kiss, not full of promises or 'I love you's. Just the melding of mouths, and a show of his gratitude, because of course, she's right.

"It _pains_ you, huh?" He murmurs against her lips, his fingers adeptly unhooking the clasp of her bra through the worn black cotton of her hoodie.

"Immensely." She responds, arching up as his lips kiss at the sensitive spot at her neck. She hasn't forgiven him, she _can't_ forgive him, and even now, as she feels his lips on hers, the image of Kendall twining herself around him comes to mind, and though it makes her sick to her stomach, she tries not to think of it. Nothing has been resolved, nothing has changed, but the feel of his lips against hers alters something within her, and as long as she doesn't think, it's Okay. _She'll_ be Okay. Soon, he's kissing her bare shoulder, the cold air hitting her back, and she wonders where her sweatshirt went, but then his lips go lower than they've ever been, and she forgets to ask questions. It takes her a second to realize that suddenly they're on the floor, and she tries to protest, but it feels so good, and the sound is lost as his lips devour hers.

Afterwards, it's a mess. They're both silent as they dress, and she cringes as she glances at the numbers flickering from her cell phone. They've been gone too long.

"So, uh…" He winks suggestively, but he's not really into it. It's just another of his stupid jokes to lighten the mood.

"So, uh." She responds, twisting her hair up into a messy topknot, knowing that leaving it down will give everything away. She licks her lips, feels how bruised they are, and sighs. There's no way they can come back from this. _There was no way you could come back from the other night, either_-a voice whispers from inside her, _and you obviously did._ She sighs, stretching her arms wide behind her, cracking her knuckles as she does so. She turns to go, but suddenly there he is, assaulting her senses from every side. "Come on, Logan. Let me go. My dad'll be looking for me. Besides, didn't you just get what all guys want? And look," She reaches up almost instinctively to touch his cheek and they both flinch as her fingers flit across his papery skin. "Post coital glow and everything." She gulps as she takes a step back, but his arms lock around her, and she glances up at him. "Not even _you_ can have that much stamina. And you're doing the bimbo." She's surprised at the tears that prick in her eyes, and she blinks them away, hoping that he doesn't notice.

"I'm not-" She cuts him off, wriggling from his embrace and stalking to the other side of the room, trying to hide the fact that she's shaking.

"Save it, Logan. I don't need to know who you do or don't _do_. The fact that I'm among the number is enough." She tries to leave with some dignity. Her back is ramrod straight, and although tears are welling in her eyes, she doesn't move her hands to wipe them away. He can't know that she's crying. She won't give him the satisfaction. _Take one step, than another-it's easy Mars. Walking is just like riding a bike. Even though your legs are jelly, because that was just the BEST SEX you've ever_-it's his laugh that stops her. "It's good to see that you still have your sense of humor. I'm going to go now." She continues, still not turning back to face him.

"Veronica." His fingers are light against her arm, and he turns her around, kissing away the tears from her cheeks. She shudders beneath him, biting her lip to keep from crying out again and can't help but looking into her eyes. "I meant what I said you know." He whispers into her hair, as she collapses into his arms. It strikes her that she's not used to this-not used to being the one whose weak, but his arms are so strong around her, and she really needs to feel safe for a while.

"I know." She whispers, closing her eyes in anguish. She didn't mean for the words to slip out, and she can feel his smile, but she doesn't move-doesn't ever want to leave this little room where no one else is, the only way they can be together. He leans his forehead against hers, gazing into her eyes, and this is all there is, this is all there ever was. There is a knock somewhere, on the door of the outer chamber, maybe. As they spring apart, he grabs her hand in his. The friendly guard who'd told her where to find him pokes his head in, nodding grimly as he sees them.

"It's time for you to testify."


End file.
